Staffordshire man and elderly dog walk 50 miles in touching tribute to mother

A Staffordshire man and an elderly bichon frisé raised more than £1,134 as part of a month-long fundraising challenge.

Ben Minard from Stafford took on the RSPCA’s '50 Miles In March' fundraising challenge by pushing his late mother Lynn Minard’s 13-year-old dog Ellie in her very own pushchair.

Ben took on the challenge in memory of his mother, a lifelong animal lover who died on February 1 after a brave battle with blood cancer.

The duo raised more than £1,100 for animals in need in Lynn’s memory. Additionally, the family had received £500 in donations to the charity following Lynn’s funeral.

Ben said: “I’ve been amazed by the support I’ve received from people. I just signed up to do some walks in memory of my mum, yet people have really taken our story into their hearts. They stop us as we walk, always to say hello to Ellie as she loves attention, and it gets us talking about the challenge and why I’m doing it, and of course, talking about my mum.

“Mum was the biggest supporter of 'adopt, don't shop’. She rescued so many animals in her life. Her love for dogs was her biggest passion; she always wanted to take on the ones who had the hardest start in life and she did. With her love and patience, she gave each dog the best life they could have.”

“Dad drops Ellie, and her pushchair, at my work at 5pm each day and we walk the four and a half miles home,” Ben added.

At weekends, he collects Ellie and takes her further afield to local beauty spots such as Cannock Chase and Stafford Castle.

Lynn was an avid supporter of the RSPCA for more than 20 years and a dedicated owner of rescue animals, including eight dogs, a feral cat in Hong Kong, and a giant lop rabbit in Germany.